RtR: Holopchi

Our hosts for January were KatBaro of A good Appetite and Giz & Psychgrad from Equal Opportunity Kitchen.

This month's challenge is a Ukrainian dish called Holopchi. It consists of a yeast dough wrapped in beet leaves (I subbed swiss chard) and served wtih a garlic cream sauce.

This wasnt a fav of ours. I am glad I quartered it - it still made a ton, and we didnt much care for it so that was good. I found it a bit too blah. The sauce was rich but needed something... some acid maybe? In any case, it wasnt something we liked that much and therefore wasnt worth the calories ;)

BUT it sure was different and unique to make and put together! Thanks for the challenge!

Here's the recipe along with some notes from GizBeet Leaf Holopchifrom The Keld Community Ladies Club in Ashville, Manitoba. The last publishing of this cookbook was 1976.

Bread Dough:
2 pkgs. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

2 cups scalded milk

4 cups warm water

1/4 cup melted butter

8 cups flour

3 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp Sugar

6 1/2 cups flour

a couple bunches of beet leaves

Directions

1. Dissolve 1 ts. sugar in 1/2 cup tepid water, sprinkle with yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. To the milk-water liquid add the melted butter, dissolved yeast and 8 cups of flour. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour)

3. Add salt, beaten eggs, sugar and remaining flour.

4. Knead well until dough is smooth and top with melted butter or oil.

5. Place in a warm place and let rise until double in bulk. It will take about 2 hours. Punch down . When dough has risen to double in bulk, place a piece of dough, the size of a walnut on a beet leaf and roll up (leaving sides open)

6. Place holopchi loosely in a pot to allow for dough to rise to double in bulk again.

7. Arrange in layers, dotting each layer with butter.

8. Cover tightly, bake in a moderate oven of 350 F for 3/4 to 1 hour. Serve with dill sauce or cream and onion sauce. (I like to cook the holopchi with the sauce but you don't have to. You can add it later - just make sure you have enough butter in roasting pan before layering your beet leaf rolls.)

I made a 1/4 recipe and cooked half the sauce in the ovena nd saved the rest for serving.

Sauce
1/2 cup butter

2 cups whipping cream

8 small onions

2 handfuls of chopped fresh dill (I omitted as we hate dill, instead doubled the garlic)

2-4 large cloves of garlic, chopped fine

Melt butter in saucepan. Add onions (chives) garlic, dill and cream.

Let it come to a boil and then turn down the heat.

I like to cook the holopchi with the sauce but you don't have to. You can add it later - just make sure you have enough butter in roasting pan before layering your beet leaf rolls.

This is not a 5 minute recipe. When you commit to making it - it's an adventure - most definitely a worthwhile one. This recipe filled an open roaster and a turkey sized roaster.